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United States Department of the Interior FISH
AND WILDLIFE SERVICE |
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DIRECTOR’S ORDER NO. 173
Subject: Use of Department of the Interior (DOI) Wildland Firefighter Standardized Position Descriptions
Sec. 1 What is the purpose of this Order? This Order implements DOI Personnel Bulletins No. 03-11 and No. 04-10, which require the use of standardized wildland fire position descriptions (PDs) established by the National Wildland Fire Plan Human Resources Advisory Group (HRAG). This Director’s Order will stand as the authority to implement all required DOI-standardized PDs. Using the standardized PDs will help to strategically address human capital management issues related to recruitment, training, development, and retention of wildland firefighter personnel.
Sec. 2 What is the policy change? Effective immediately, all Regions must use the following DOI-standardized PDs, as appropriate, for both permanent and temporary appointments, for all wildland firefighting positions at the GS-02, 03, 04, and 05 grade levels; for lead or supervisory wildland firefighting positions at the GS-05, 06, and 07 levels; and for fire dispatch work at the GS-03, 04, 05, 06, and 07 levels:
a. Range/Forestry Aid (Fire), GS-455/462-02 (PD
Number 0DOI002)
b. Range/Forestry Aid (Fire), GS-455/462-03 (PD
Number 0DOI003)
c. Range/Forestry Technician (Fire),
GS-455/462-04 (PD Number 0DOI004)
d. Range/Forestry Technician (Fire),
GS-455/462-05 (PD Number 0DOI005)
e. Lead Range/Forestry Technician (Fire),
GS-455/462-05/06 (PD Number 0DOI006)
f. Supervisory Range/Forestry Technician (Fire),
GS-455/462-06/07 (PD Number 0DOI007)
g. Fire Logistics Dispatcher, GS-2151-03/04 (PD
Number 0DOI008)
h. Fire Logistics Dispatcher, GS-2151-04/05 (PD
Number 0DOI009)
i. Fire Logistics Dispatcher, GS-2151-06/07 (PD
Number 0DOI010)
j. Range/Forestry Technician (Fire Dispatch),
GS-455/462-04/05 (PD Number 0DOI011)
k. Range/Forestry Technician (Fire Dispatch),
GS-455/462-06/07 (PD Number 0DOI012)
Sec. 3 Are the PDs that are already
established by the Service affected by this Order? Yes, Regions must review appropriate regional
PDs and identify and abolish those with similar duties as the DOI-standardized
PDs. PDs standard to the Service that are superseded and abolished by
this Order include:
a. Forestry Aid, GS-462-02/03 (PD Numbers
S000A13 and S000013)
b. Forestry Technician, GS-462-03/04 (PD
Numbers S000A14 and S000014)
c. Forestry Technician, GS-462-04/05 (PD Numbers
S000A15 and S000015)
d. Range Aid, GS-455-02/03 (PD Numbers S000A18
and S0000018)
e. Range Technician, GS-455-03/04 (PD Numbers
S000A19 and S000019)
f. Range Technician, GS-455-04/05 (PD Numbers
S000A20 and S000020)
g. Lead Forestry Technician, GS-462-05/06 (PD
Numbers S000A17 and S000017)
h. Lead Range Technician, GS-455-05/06 (PD
Numbers S000A22 and S000022)
Sec. 4 Can new PD numbers be assigned to these positions? No, DOI requires that bureaus implement the DOI-standardized PD numbering system for newly established positions and when replacing existing PDs with the standardized ones. However, the DOI PD number is six characters in length and FPPS requires seven. Therefore, for the agency PD numbers, we have added a “0” before the DOI number to make the number seven characters.
Sec. 5 Do the positions have organizational titles? Yes, most of them do. The organizational title for the PDs, if any, is recorded in item 16 of the PD cover sheet, Optional Form 8 (OF-8). For the Range/Forestry Aid and Technician (Fire) positions, GS-02, 03 and 04, PD numbers 0DOI002, 0DOI003, and 0DOI004, the organizational title is Wildland Firefighter. For the Range/Forestry Technician (Fire) GS-05 position (0DOI005), the organizational title is Senior Wildland Firefighter. For the Lead Range/Forestry Technician (Fire) position, GS-455/462-05/06 (0DOI006), the organizational title is Lead Wildland Firefighter. For the 0DOI007, Supervisory Range/Forestry Technician (Fire) position, GS-455/462-06/07, the organizational title is Supervisory Wildland Firefighter. For Range/Forestry Technician (Fire Dispatch) positions, PD numbers 0DOI011 and 0DOI012, the organizational titles are Fire Dispatcher (GS-04/05) and Senior Fire Dispatcher (GS-06/07).
Sec. 6 If a standardized PD doesn’t fit the needs, can an exception be requested? Yes, but requests for exceptions to this policy must be in writing, and must show conclusively why the standardized PD is not applicable to the position assignment. Requests should be forwarded by the respective Regional Director/Manager, California/Nevada Operations Office (CNO), Assistant Director, or Chief, Law Enforcement through the Chief, Division of Human Resources, to the Chief, Fire Management Branch, for approval or disapproval. The Chief, Fire Management Branch, will then forward the request to the Director, Office of Wildland Fire Coordination, and the Office of Personnel Policy for concurrence.
Sec. 7 Are these positions covered under the firefighter retirement program? Coverage for firefighter retirement for these positions is described below.
a. Primary/rigorous firefighter positions: The following PDs describe rigorous positions where the primary duties are the control and extinguishment of fires; these positions have been approved as primary/rigorous firefighter positions under the fire retirement system. Therefore, when using these PDs, you must apply the maximum entry age requirements. (Note: The maximum entry age does not apply when filling a primary/rigorous position that is not subject to retirement deductions, e.g., temporary appointments.)
(1) Range/Forestry Aid (Fire), GS-455/462-02 (PD Number 0DOI002)
(2) Range/Forestry Aid (Fire), GS-455/462-03 (PD Number 0DOI003)
(3) Range/Forestry Technician (Fire), GS-455/462-04 (PD Number 0DOI004)
(4) Range/Forestry Technician (Fire), GS-455/462-05 (PD Number 0DOI005)
(5) Lead Range/Forestry Technician (Fire), GS-455/462-05/06 (PD Number 0DOI006)
(6) Supervisory Range/Forestry Technician (Fire), GS-455/462-06/07 (PD
Number 0DOI007)
b. Secondary/administrative firefighter positions. The following PDs describe positions in a firefighting organization with a firefighting mission. In addition, in order to perform the fire support duties described, prior primary/rigorous (on-the-fire-line) firefighting experience is a mandatory prerequisite/selective factor to qualify for these positions. Therefore, these PDs have been approved as secondary/administrative firefighter positions under the fire retirement system. In accordance with 5 CFR 831.904 and 5 CFR 842.803(b), incumbents of secondary firefighter positions who do not meet the applicable transfer requirements are not eligible for coverage under firefighter retirement and must be placed in the regular retirement system.
(1) Range/Forestry Technician (Fire Dispatch), GS-455/462-04/05 (PD
Number 0DOI011)
(2) Range/Forestry Technician (Fire Dispatch), GS-455/462-06/07 (PD Number 0DOI012)
c. Positions not covered. The following PDs do not require prior primary/rigorous firefighting experience and are not covered under the firefighter retirement system.
(1) Fire Logistics Dispatcher, GS-2151-03/04 (PD Number 0DOI008)
(2) Fire Logistics Dispatcher, GS-2151-04/05 (PD Number 0DOI009)
(3) Fire Logistics Dispatcher, GS-2151-06/07 (PD Number 0DOI010)
Sec. 9 Do any of these PDs represent key fire management positions? Yes, the PDs for Senior, Lead and Supervisory Wildland Firefighters (0DOI005, 0DOI006 and 0DOI007) and for Fire Dispatcher and Senior Fire Dispatcher (0DOI011 and 0DOI012) are key fire management positions. The applicable Interagency Fire Management Qualifications Standards (IFPM) must be used in conjunction with these PDs. These standards include minimum qualifications, training requirements, competencies, and key performance elements.
Sec. 10 How soon do the DOI-standardized PDs need to be implemented? Regions/CNO must replace existing wildland firefighter PDs at these grade levels and begin the necessary personnel actions as soon as possible, but not later than 90 days from the date of this Order. Effective immediately, Regions/CNO cannot place new personnel on PDs superseded or abolished by this Order.
Sec. 11 Where can I find these DOI standard PDs? An electronic library of these DOI-standardized PDs is available at the Service’s HR website at http://hr.fws.gov/hr/classification.htm; they are also available on the DOI Firefighter and Law Enforcement Officer Retirement Team (FLERT) website at http://flert.nifc.gov.
Sec. 12 When is the Order effective? This Order is effective immediately, and we will incorporate its contents in the Fish and Wildlife Manual. This Order will expire on September 30, 2005, unless it is amended, superseded, or revoked.
/sgd/ MATT HOGAN
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Date: July 27, 2004
For specific information on the contents of this Director's Order, contact the Division of Human Resources. For additional information regarding the Directives web pages, contact Krista Holloway , in the Division of Policy and Directives Management, 703-358-2482.
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